M.I.Y.O Monday: What Is Your Favorite Italian Restaurant?

Note: M.I.Y.O. Monday stands for Make It Your Own Monday, a question thrown out to DCF readers every Monday to jumpstart the week with lively interaction. I also welcome questions and suggestions for future MIYO Mondays. Email me.

I’m headed to Italy very soon but you wouldn’t think it from the way I’ve been eating nothing but Italian cuisine the past few weeks. Ideally, I should be staying far away from pasta and pizza and baskets of grissini and focaccia as well as bistecca fiorentina but I just can’t help it. Right now, Italian food has cast some sort of perpetual siren spell on me, something I can’t break or shake off. It’s mad. By the time I get to Italy, I might very well be sick of the stuff.

And by some weird succession of – dare I say it – poor choices, I’ve not been lucky with the restaurants I’ve chosen to dine in, places that are new and old, places that don’t register on the buzz meter. If you follow me on Twitter, I’ve given some hint as to my frustration with the Italian restaurants I’ve dined at in the past three weeks. You may ask why didn’t I just go to my tried and trues, places where the pasta prevails and the pizza presses itself into loving memory? Well, I get bored easily and I had a whole list of Italian places that I needed to scratch off my list.

Yesterday for Sunday lunch, I had my Bin drive me all the way to Cavite to an Italian place highly recommended by a chef-friend of mine. No cigar – or should that be no cannoli? Save for one or two dishes, the place was less than scintillating. Mamma mia!

In the early 2000s, my favorite Italian restaurant was Caffe Maestro along Reposo, a place that served a most unforgettable panna cotta. Though its sister restaurant, L’Opera, also serves it and is still around, the ambiance is different. Then there’s Trattoria Uno which, though gone now, will always reign supreme in my pantheon of great restaurants because it was there where my king asked me to be his queen.

Driving home from that rather lackadaisical Sunday lunch, we passed by Mona Lisa, which I remembered that I like very much. And then of course there’s my current Italian mainstay, La Dolce Vita which I discovered just recently also makes one of the better calzones in Manila. But more on that another time.

DCF readers, help me get out of my Italian food funk! Tell me: what is your favorite Italian restaurant and what do you eat there?

Hi, Lori. I love Italian food, so I try out a lot of Italian restaurants. Currently, my favorite is Cucina Rusticana in Makati. Also, last summer, we were able to try out Casa Marikit in Mataas na Kahoy in Batangas. That restaurant has excellent Italian fare as well!

I love to eat at Parmigiano in Resorts World. They serve very delicious food. Being a cheese addict, i always order their Quattro Formaggi Pizza which is oozing with Parmesan, Mozzarella, Gorgonzola and Pecorino cheeses– add some chili flakes and more parmesan and it’s perfect!

One more dish I love is their Bistecca alla Florentina which weighs 800grams(smallest size). It can be as heavy as 1000++ grams, if you’re quite hungry. It is served with roasted potatoes and Gorgonzola sauce. I can finish half of a 1kg steak. 🙂

Their Ravioli di Gamberi is also a hit! The shrimp is perfectly cooked. The pasta is al dente and the sauce is very rich. It is seasoned perfectly. The grilled tomato sauce compliments the prawn.

*you should try their strawberry lemonade– sweet and tangy at the same time. Great palette cleanser also.

Hi Lori. My two cent’s worth: Italian cuisine has been so well-integrated into global culture, it’s difficult now to set guidelines on what constitutes good Italian cuisine. What one finds nice could very well be the Americanized Italian restaurant ( ala Italianni’s) or Asianized (too many to mention) where the influence of Chinese cooking has seeped into. Not that this is bad per se, but I presume you are looking for authenticity? (personal pet peeve: PF Chang’s- Americanized Chinese cuisine. Come on. Is it the apocalypse?)

Having said that, I’ll go for Caruso, Cibo, Pepato (wish it would open a permanent one instead of pop-ups) and Va Bene. I’d dare say it comes close to what Italy can offer, when you get there.

Just had a wonderful dinner last Saturday at Ristorante Caruso (Reposo, Makati). Italianni’s consistently tastes good but service has become lackluster. I love A Venetto’s lasagna. It’s loaded with meat and melted cheese.

I’d definitely have to go for C’Italian (for the panizzas,penne roberto and lamb shank) L’incontro (for the lamb lasagna, gnocchi gorgonzola, and 4 cheese pizza). They never scrimp on quality! They make pastas and breads from scratch and use only the most premium ingredients may it be the herbs, the flour, or cheeses. The simplest combination of ingredients are transformed into dishes with immense depth in flavor. I think that’s the essence of real Italian cooking. It’s comforting and it’s about keeping the food unpretentious while utilizing the freshest ingredients of the season!

Italian cuisine is my favorite! The old reliables are Caruso and Cibo; I’ve never been let down there. Caruso is also one of the few with authentic gnocchi. I’m a huge fan of My Kitchen by Chef Chris — finally, C’ original panizza and ox tongue with polenta, without having to go to Angeles! Although it’s not totally traditional, Trio has become a comfort food place for me, particularly for the Steak & Mushroom Risotto and Prawn Risotto. I used to adore their Fig & Prosciutto Pizza (with a paper-thin crust) and Stuffed Pumpkin Flowers, but those aren’t on the menu anymore. I would love to return and try more items at L’Incontro and most especially, Va Bene. I used to like Cantinetta, Amo Roma (their Makati branch was an absolute fave) and Va Pensiere (amazing carbonara with lots of guanciale, good sausages and pizza), but the last time I went to them, it wasn’t the same. I’d still give them another chance, though, in case it was just an off day. And even though it is definitely an Americanized version of Italian, I still very much enjoy Italianni’s, if only for the Toasted Ravioli and Shrimp Fra Diablo pasta.

Enjoy Italy, Lori! And if you’re passing by Florence, please have some Butter Chicken and Bistecca Fiorentina at Sostanza for me. Here in the Philippines, my family and I love Cafe Puccini and Amoroma 🙂

Oh, I must say, I am absolutely SEETHING with envy that you’re headed to Italy, Lori!!! I loved it there, especially Florence! Just walking around that city is lovely. Even late at night, the piazza is alive and festive. And, of course, the FOOD! Sigh, now I’m nostalgic.

I have a close friend who lives there and how I wish I could visit her! By the way, if you want someone who knows Florence’s ins and outs, she’s your gal. Half-Pinay and half-Italian, an artist, a huge food lover and good cook, plus she used to work with tourists, not to mention, she is all sorts of crazy and hilarious — you couldn’t hope for a better or more FUN guide. Let me know if you want me to put you in touch. 🙂

Cafe Caruso for me is so so. While their pizzas are great, I’m not impressed by the amatriciana (didn’t use guanciale or pancetta), the risotto (overcooked and not al dente), and the grilled fish. Cibo is always consistent and I love the pastas at Va Bene. Cantinetta used to be very good. I still need to try many others.